Commercial
How Automated Lockers Reduce Costs & Promote Savings for Commercial Properties
Written by: Parcel Pending
4 Min Read
Published: June 19, 2020
Updated: April 3, 2023
Commercial properties nationwide are preparing for tenants to return to work as the country reopens in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to adhere to social distancing guidelines, many commercial properties will have to make adjustments to their shared spaces and tenant-facing activities, including package management.
Receiving, logging, sorting, and distributing tenant packages requires a lot of space and significant staff time, but can also require close interaction with tenants. That is why it is more important than ever for commercial property owners and managers to invest in tech-forward, contact-free solutions like smart lockers to help with parcel management.
Automated lockers can help commercial properties reduce costs and promote savings while also providing a contact-less way for tenants to retrieve their packages.
Smart Lockers for Package Management
Corporate mailrooms can receive an average of up to 1,000 packages every day, and this number is expected to continue growing. Many commercial office spaces lack the time and space needed to properly manage both personal and work-related deliveries. This can result in disorganized and cluttered mailrooms, overloaded mailroom staff, lost packages, and stressed-out office staff and employees.
Smart lockers are a great package management device for corporate campuses and office spaces. These package locker systems offer a number of important benefits for commercial spaces, including saving valuable mailroom staff time, improving operational efficiency and the overall employee experience, as well as helping employers save on operational costs.
Reduce Operational Costs
Since the start of social distancing, couriers have experienced holiday-level delivery volume as consumers increasingly shop for essential goods online. In fact, in April, every day was Black Friday with data showing that e-commerce sales for the month were consistently above 2019 Black Friday sales.
Consumers are constantly seeking greater convenience, speed, access, security, and personalization. The safe, next-day, contact-free deliveries offered by most businesses right now are exactly that. As such, the preference for convenient, contact-free delivery options is unlikely to change, even as the world begins to evaluate what “the new normal” will look like.
As employees return to work, many will continue to shop online and opt to have their packages delivered to their workplaces to avoid package theft. However, expect to see employees demand a contact-free way to retrieve their packages while at work. Recent data shows that 87% of consumers prefer contact-free check-out options, such as Buy Online, Pick Up at Curb (BOPAC); this trend is likely to carry over into the workplace as well.
Commercial property owners and managers should consider investing in a contact-free package management solution that will give their tenants a quick, easy and safe way to retrieve their packages, while also saving valuable staff time and resources.
Parcel Pending by Quadient’s commercial smart locker solutions, for example, alleviate the stress of package parcel management for commercial property owners and managers by assuming all customer service responsibilities for package delivery, notification, and retrieval. In fact, it is estimated that our automated smart locker solutions can help save up to 24 hours of staff time each week. This is valuable time that could be better spent on handling tenant requests and managing the property or office space.
Operational benefits of automated locker systems include:
- Eliminating the lengthy process of accepting, logging, sorting, and distributing employee packages, saving up to 24 hours of staff time each week
- Reducing delivery time by up to 78%
- Eliminating package liability for missed deliveries and theft
- Removing the need for employee support with automatic software updates and self-service package pick-up
- Boosting overall security for deliveries to the building
Quick, Easy, and Safe Package Retrieval
Employees don’t like to wait for what they want. Not when today’s technology and industry advancements have paved the way for them to get what they want, where they want, as soon as they want it. Now, employees are going to expect an even higher level of security both for their essential deliveries and their health – something that can only be guaranteed with a contact-free work environment.
Automated parcel lockers help to improve the employee experience by making it quick, safe, and easy for them to retrieve their packages at their convenience. Employees no longer need to rush home or rearrange their work schedules to make sure they are available to receive their packages. Instead, they can continue to work knowing that their packages are nearby and safe, ready to retrieve when they head home for the day.
Other employee benefits include:
- Faster, easier parcel delivery and interoffice deliveries
- Providing instant notifications that alert recipients when a package arrives
- Securing deliveries with the “signature required” feature
- Accepting packages from all couriers and delivery services
- Providing friendly and helpful U.S. based, 24/7, 100% Always-On Customer Service
With Parcel Pending’s intelligent parcel locker system, recipients are instantly notified when they have a delivery via text or email. The recipient can then pick up their package using the unique code provided in the notification, or by using our free mobile app. Building staff do not need to sign for, sort, or distribute packages to recipients – our commercial smart locker solutions handle it all. All automated locker systems include a built-in camera to capture each package retrieval; automated parcel lockers can also be placed in locations with video security cameras, allowing building managers to have further accountability as to who is delivering and picking up the packages.
Consumers want and expect workplace amenities that make their lives easier – that includes the effortless retrieval of their personal and work-related packages and goods. Overall, commercial smart lockers are a win-win. Tenants love quick, easy, and contact-free package retrieval, and property owners and managers love smart lockers because they no longer have to spend time accepting, logging, sorting, and distributing packages.
Save time and money by streamlining your package management process with our Commercial Parcel Lockers. Discover the Parcel Pending locker solution that is best for your workplace.